10 Questions: Jeff Kramer

May 23, 2006

Jeff Kramer is a nice boy from Morrisville, Vermont. Jeffrey grew up riding the mountain of Stowe where he honed his schralping skills in the ways of the East Coaster. Like many of his generation, he found himself venturing to Mammoth Lakes, California. Here he has found new ways of expressing himself and is on a path of total shreddom. I sat down with Jeff and asked him a few questions. In the text below, you will find his answers. Think of this not as what it is but as what is could be.

1. So let’s start from the middle. When you moved in with Kyle Clancy at his house in June, is that when things got shaking?

I guess so. That was a good turning point for me. It’s good to get out of Mammoth, away from all the happenings. They had a good park staff and all the stuff there was good. I got to ride with Clancy all the time. It was just really good.

2. When you say “happenings, what, pray tell, would that include?

Well, working at a bar until 3:00 in the morning just partying and partying and partying. When you’re twenty-one years old, it’s just a whole new world for you.

3. So now you’re twenty-three. What’s changed with your riding in the past couple years?

I think I just feel the flow more. My confidence is higher now. I think riding everything is important, not just riding rails or sticking to one thing. Right now powder is my favorite thing to ride.

4. What do you like about the pow?

When you’re out there, you don’t have to worry about anyone crossing your tracks—you’re riding pow, damn it. You don’t even have to do tricks. When you do hit jumps, you don’t have to worry about a knuckle and hopefully there is a 200-foot landing. It just comes down to the fact that I’m a hippy living down in June Lake.

5. So if you’re such a hippy, do you have dreads? And what music have you been listening to?

I don’t have dreads, but Lane (Knaack) does. I listen to a lot of different music—metal, punk, rock ‘n’ roll and a little reggae. I don’t listen to Phish if that’s what you’re getting at.

6. What’s the best trip you’ve ever been on?

When I spent a month filming rails with Brian Regis, Jesse House, Mark Riely, Sketchy-D, Cavan, and you. But the main characters were you, Dennis and Cavan. We went to a party in Jersey where the girls had painted-on nipples, and we ate at a nameless Chinese buffet for seven days in a row in Syracuse. Dennis was manhandling rails, and then he got pulled on stage by these strippers. Then one took his shirt off and the other one started giving Dennis dollar bills. I back lipped a kink rail for the first time and got a bunch of shots, which is nice, I guess. It was the best trip ever. We partied with your mom in Jersey and Spongy from Concepts in Boston. It was my first time going out all night in NYC, too—great trip.

7. So, does all work and no play make Jeffrey a dull boy?

Yes.

8. What’s the worst trip you ever went on?

Last fall with Colin (Langlois), Doran (Layborne), and Cavan when we went to Sass-Fe, Switzerland. All I can say was it rained the whole time. So we went to Italy, and it was raining there. We rode the worst twenty-foot big-air jump ever. Then Colin punched me in the face. That’s a long story in itself for another day. That trip really sucked.

9. So what lies in the future for Jeff Kramer?

I really just want to film a full video part. I’ve never had the chance to put something together that shows who I really am. I always have a few shots here and few there, just not enough substance. I’ve been filming a lot for Lane’s video, The Chronicles of Gnarlya and this season has been the most fun yet.

10. In closing, what does snowboarding mean to you?

Well, it’s just the best thing in the world. It’s a way for me to vent my anger—just kidding (he’s not). It’s a self-expressive art form. It’s good for me, not just physically but mentally as well. It helps me break down barriers in life and overcome fear. Plus it gives me an excuse to hang out with you all the time.—